Pesto

italian · sauce · basil · cooking

From Genoa, Italy. Pesto comes from the Italian city of Genoa in a region called Liguria. It has been a beloved local sauce there for generations and is still made the traditional way by many families.

Fresh green ingredients. Real pesto starts with Genovese basil leaves, which have a special sweet flavor. These get mixed with garlic, pine nuts, and two kinds of Italian cheese called Parmesan and pecorino sardo.

Extra virgin olive oil. The olive oil is a star ingredient that brings all the flavors together smoothly. Extra virgin olive oil from good sources makes pesto taste rich and delicious.

Coats your pasta. Pesto's main job is to dress pasta, meaning you toss it together so every strand gets coated with the green sauce. People also use pesto on bread, pizza, and soup.

Pounded by hand. The word pesto comes from the Italian verb that means to pound or crush. Traditionally, people make it with a marble mortar and pestle, grinding the ingredients together slowly.